The present-day U.S. military qualifies by any measure as highly professional, much more so than its Cold War predecessor. Yet the purpose of today’s professionals is not to preserve peace but to fight unending wars in distant places. Intoxicated by a post-Cold War belief in its own omnipotence, the United States allowed itself to be drawn into a long series of armed conflicts, almost all of them yielding unintended consequences and imposing greater than anticipated costs. Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. forces have destroyed many targets and killed many people. Only rarely, however, have they succeeded in accomplishing their assigned political purposes. . . . [F]rom our present vantage point, it becomes apparent that the “Revolution of ‘89” did not initiate a new era of history. At most, the events of that year fostered various unhelpful illusions that impeded our capacity to recognize and respond to the forces of change that actually matter.

Andrew Bacevich


Monday, November 21, 2011

War News for Monday, November 21, 2011

The British MoD is reporting the death of a British ISAF soldier from an IED blast in the Jamal Kowi area of the Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand province, Afghanistan on Sunday November 20th. Here's the ISAF release.


Explosion occurs on railway connecting Uzbekistan with Afghanistan

Army Releases October Suicide Data


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: A roadside bomb went off near a police patrol in Baghdad's northern Adhamiya district, wounding four civilians, police and hospital sources said.

Two explosive charge blew off in northern Baghdad's Aadamiya district on Monday, wounding 3 civilians, a security source reported. "Two explosive charges blew off under a car of an employee of Iraq's Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research in Aadamiya district on Monday, wounding him and his sister, who is a lecturer in Baghdad's Islamic University," the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: A group of unknown gunmen have opened fire Sunday night on the hosue of an Iraqi media man southwest of Baghdad, causing no human losses, according to the Chairman of the Iraqi Society for Defense of Journalists Rights on Monday. "A group of unknown armed men, using a new car, have opened fire on the house of the Iraqi Media Man, Abdul-Munim Nasser, in southern Baghdad's Baya'a district, while he was at home with his family, and escaped for an unknown destination," Ibrahim al-Sarraji told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Diyala Prv:
#1: A sticky bomb attached to a car exploded, killing a member of the government-backed Sahwa militia, in a town near the city of Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad, police said.


Tuz Khurmato:
#1: Gunmen in a speeding car killed a member of the Kurdish Asaish security force and wounded another late on Sunday in central Tuz Khurmato, 170 km (105 miles) north of Baghdad, a local police source said.


Kirkuk:
#1: A sticky bomb attached to a civilian's car exploded, wounding the driver and a passenger late on Sunday in northwestern Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, a local police source said.

#2: A bomb attached to a car killed the driver in the city of Kirkuk, police said.

A member of Iraq's Human Rights Department in northern Iraq's Kirkuk city has been killed in an explosive charge blast south of the city on Sunday, the city's Police Director reported on Monday. "An explosive charge, stuck to a civilian car in Kirkuk's Celebrations Square, has blown off on Sunday, killing a Human Rights member, Lt-Brigadier Sarhad Saleh told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, pointing out that the security forces began investigation in the incident, but gave no further details.

#3: Two Iraqi civilians have been injured in an explosive charge blast in front of a house belonging to a member of the Iraqi Army in Dibbis township, close to northern Iraq's Kirkuk city on Sunday, a security source reported. "An explosive charge blew up on Sunday in central Dibbis township in Kirkuk Province, planted in front of a member of the Iraqi Army, wounding one of his brothers and a passerby, along with causing damage to the house," the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency on Monday.


Mosul:
#1: Gunmen in a car opened fire on the car of a local office manager for mobile phone operator Asiacell, killing him and wounding another passenger in northern Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, a local police source said.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Eighteen insurgents have been killed in Afghanistan's Nuristan province in a cleanup operation, an official said Monday. "A joint cleanup operation was launched by Afghan Border Police, Afghan army and NATO-led coalition forces Friday and so far we know 18 insurgents have been killed," provincial governor Tamim Nuristani told Xinhua.

#2: In the meantime, officials in the ministry of interior affairs of Afghanistan said, at least five militants were killed and five others were detained in separate operations in southern Helmand and eastern Ghazni province during the past 24 hours.

#3: Assailants torched three trucks carrying fuel for U.S. and NATO forces Sunday in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, police said. Police official Nazeer Ahmed said four attackers ambushed the trucks in the Mastung district, just south of Quetta, near the border with Afghanistan. He said no one was injured during the attack, as the drivers escaped before the trucks were set ablaze.

#4: At least 14 Pakistani paramilitary troops have been killed in clashes with militants in the country's southwestern Balochistan province, security sources and local media reported on Monday. TV channels reported that the clashes erupted in the Chamalang mountainous area late Sunday night after armed militants attacked the Frontier Corps (FC) troops, which continued until Monday morning. Local TV Ajj reported that 14 soldiers have been killed in the shootout so far. There are no official comments on the casualties. Sources said that 11 FC troops were also injured and the bodies and injured have been evacuated in helicopters. The injured were airlifted to a military hospital in Quetta, the provincial capital.


DoD: Pfc. Adam E. Dobereiner

1 comments:

Dancewater said...

Fallujah remembered by a US Marine

What I want to attack are the lies and false beliefs. I want to destroy the prejudices that prevented us from putting ourselves in the other's shoes and asking ourselves what we would have done if a foreign army invaded our country and laid siege to our city.


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good read